The Ortegrity is a system for organizing two or more humans. It
produces win-win relationships between all individuals within the
organization. This results in a conflict free environment which
optimizes the two processes of human behavior — decision and action.
The resultant is that efficiency, productivity, and quality of
work-life are optimized.
Decision-Heterarchy
In the Ortegrity, decisions are made in heterarchy. Each
member’s role is the same. The goal is to find the plan of
accomplishing the assigned task with best effect on all. A win-win
solution. This search leads to the most efficient way of doing things.
All members are protected from any loss by their veto. Only a win-win
plan can be approved. Such plans that will be strongly supported by all
members.
Humans develop strong feelings of community in heterarchy. It
strengthens their committment to the organization. Individuals are more
creative and enthusiastic in a setting where they feel respected and
needed.
Decisions are always made heterarchically. All individuals in
a heterarchy sit on the same level. They are equal in authority and
responsibility. No one is superior to anyone else. It is the
responsibility of all to accomplish the task assigned to the
heterarchy. They all have equal authority and equal responsibility to
decide how the task will be accomplished.
Anyone can propose a plan as to how the task might be
accomplished. The heterarchy continues discussion until a unanimous
decision is reached. Only those plans not vetoed carry. Every member
has a veto and is expected to use it to prevent losses. This is
synergic consensus. It is a powerful system for producing unanimous
decision. Remember loss can still occur in synergic organization. But
if loss must occur it is minimized and then shared equally by all
members of the heterarchy.
The Synergic Veto — life’s secret for efficiency
Most humans are suprised to learn of veto power. It seems very
strange in the world of “directed” management. How can the boss allow
employee’s to veto his orders and get anything done?
Members of a heterarchy are not employees. They stand equal
with the organizer. A major secret of life is that self-directed
organization is much more efficient than other-directed organization.
The secret is to transcend directing anyone. The Ortegrity creates the
ideal environment for self-organization.
In an environment of self-organization, human potential
blossoms. Humans operate at a more powerful level. Those in an
Ortegrity soon realize that their well being depends on the success of
their organizations. They realize that if they wish to be well paid
their organization must be successful. They have high interest in
successful solutions to their tasks. They desire to be successful, and
they want their organizations to be successful as well.
Now once the members of a heterarchy have decided on a plan of
action. They then renegotiate among themselves to divide the plan of
action into subtasks.
Recall that all members sit on the same level as “equals”. No
one has more authority than anyone else. Every one has equal
responsibility and equal authority within the heterarchy. The
assignment for the heterarchy is to find the best plan to accomplish
the task so all members will win. It is the collective responsibility
of the entire heterarchy to find this “best” solution. Anyone can
propose a plan to accomplish the task. All problems related to
accomplishing the task would be discussed at length in the heterarchy.
The proposed plan for accomplishing the task would be examined
by all members of the heterarchy. Anyone could suggest a modification,
or even a completely different alternative plan to accomplish the task
— always seeking to maximize the win. All individuals would serve as
information sources for each other. The heterarchy would continue in
discussion until a plan could be found that worked well for everyone.
The goal of the heterarchy is to find that course of action that
maximizes the win for everyone, if that is not possible and the group
must lose, then the goal becomes to find that action which minimizes
loss for everyone. And when loss occurs it is shared equally by all.
Organizing Humans
Those individuals within even today’s organizations are the ones
who collectively “know” the most about the organization, and they
certainly “know” best how to organize their own skills, talents and
abilities .
In an environment of calmness and trust, two heads really are better than one. And it is the veto that lets this all work.
It is the veto that allows for synergic consenus within the
Decision-Heterachy. Synergic consensus requires that all decisions be
unanimous. All proposed plans are approved unless they are explicitly
vetoed. Any member of the heterarchy can veto any plan in which they or
anyone else loses. It is their duty to veto any loss in the system.
Because all loss positions are vetoed, all relationships
become win-win. The power of synergic concensus rests on finding the
third alternative. A major fact about human performance mental or
physical is that it is greatest when the individual is winning. Examine
our Olympic atheletes or our Nobel laurates. An environment that allows
only win-win relationships will produce major increases in efficiency,
productivity, and quality of work-life.
We humans are presently conditioned to expect our
relationships to be win/lose. We view most situations from that
either/or point of view. Either I win or I lose. It has to be one or
the other. Synergy science reveals the third alternative. It may be
harder to find, but there almost always exists a third way of doing
things so no one loses. Or at worst you are assured that the loss has
been minimized and equally shared. This distributes the loss so it has
the least negative effect on the individual. This is the win-win way —
this is synergy.
When all were in agreement and only then would the plan be
implemented. The plan must insure that all members of the group win.
Any member can veto a losing plan. Taking the time in decision making
to discover the win-win way means that action will be many times more
efficient.
In most human organizations today, the boss simply assigns
tasks or groups of tasks to each of his selected managers. This is
other-directed management — telling the managers what to do. The
Ortegrity operates very differently. No one tells anyone what to do.
All other-direction is replaced with self-direction. Once the
heterarchy has synergically decided on a plan of action, the system
negotiates to form an action hierarchy. This is the structure used in
implementation. Here, each member’s role is different.
Action — Hierarchy
Now once the heterarchy has approved a win-win plan of action to
accomplish the Synergic Task, the members of the heterarchy begin to
form a action team on a negotiated basis. The individuals within the
heterarchy divide labor. Action is too large for any single member.
Individual responsibility and authority is agreed to through open
negotiation. The action team then functions as a hierarchy to carry out
the plan. Participation within the system is always voluntary. The
members of the team decide how they wish to work together, or even if
they want to participate. No one is ever forced to do anything they
don't want to. However no win can occur unless they are successful.
Individuality is a strong feature of the action hierarchy.
Actions are always made heirarchically. All individuals in a
heirarchy sit on different levels. They have different authority and
responsibility for accomplishing the task. Their individual
responsibility and authority is determined by synergic negotiation.
Once having reached a decision in heterarchy they begin an open win-win
negotiation to divide the labor of the plan. They develop levels of
responsibility and authority. But these levels are voluntarily assumed.
Again only a unanimous arrangement is permitted.
All relationships within a Ortegrity are win-win. This is the
first principle of an Ortegrity, and all are pledged to uphold it. This
is why every member is required to veto any action within the the
system in which he or anyone else would lose. The utilization of
synergic consensus and synergic negotiation produces very different
forms of heterarchy and hierarchy. The forms used within the Ortegrity
are nothing like committees with majority rule, or typical
other-directed hierarchies. Heterarchy decides using the mechanism of
synergic consensus and veto. And hierarchies are created by synergic
negotiation of individual responsibility and authority. Synergic means
all must win.
There is a division of labor with the individuals negotiating
as to levels of responsibility and authority in terms of implementing
the plan. The individuals remain in hierarchy until the task is
accomplished. When finished the hierarchy is abandoned and heterarchy
reformed to make a new decision.
Ortegrity utilizes a dual mechanism in that everyone within
the organization has two identities — two roles. Everyone participates
in both decision making and in action implementation. Everyone has both
heterarchical and hierarchical functions. The unit of organization with
in the Ortegrity is the sub-tensegrity — the Decision-Action
Tensegrity.
The Rhythm Of Life
During implementation, the action team would continue to
function until the task was accomplished, then the action hierarchy is
abandoned with all members returning to heterarchy to make a new
decision about the next task. this of course leading to the creation of
a new action team.
Decision —>Action —>Decision —>Action —>Decision —>
Action —>Decision —>Action —>Decision —>Action —>
Decision —>Action —> and on and on and on ...
First it configures as a decision-heterarchy, it then considers
its task, then one member declares a plan of action. If there are no
vetoes, then the heterarchy configures itself into an action-hierarchy.
During the action it functions as a hierarchy. Each member standing
where he agreed to stand, performing those tasks he volunteered to
perform. Once the action is successfully completed, the hierarchy is
abandoned and the members return to the heterarchy.
Heterarchy —>Hierarchy —>Heterarchy —> Hierarchy —>Heterarchy —>
Hierarchy —>Heterarchy —>Hierarchy —>Heterarchy —>Hierarchy —>
Heterarchy —> Hierarchy —>Heterarchy —>Heterarchy —> and on and on and on ...
As a balanced system of discontinuous hierarchies and continuous
heterarchies, the Ortegrity has the strengths of both heterarchy and
hierarchy, and none of their weaknesses.
The End of Conflict
This system is designed to eliminate all internal conflict.
Elimination of all conflict maximizes efficiency, productivity and
quality of work-life. All relationships between all individuals within
the system are win-win. This is a design characteristic of the system.
It is veto power that forces the third alternative — the win-win
solution. It is synergic relationship that unlocks human potential.
This is the relationship that elimates all conflict.
CONFLICT
FRICTION
_____________
: __________
ORGANIZATIONS
MACHINERY
Using the win-win relationship in organizations is like applying
grease to machinery. Japanese corporations are presently 150% more
efficient and productive than American corporations. Those companies
who choose to restructure as Ortegrities could experience an increase
in efficiency and productivity of 1000%.
Decision-Action Tensegrities
The organizing unit of the Ortegrity then is the Decision-Action
Tensegrity. These are also tensegrities. Synergic organization utilizes
a tensegrity of tensegrites.
The D-A Tensegrity is a group of between two and twenty
humans. The size of a D-A Tensegrity is limited by the complexity of
decision making. In a complex area such as in research &
development, the ideal size may be six or seven members. In a system
with simpler decison making as many as 16 to 20 individuals may form a
production D-A Tensegrity.
During decision making the D-A Tensegrity uses the
heterarchical form. A heterarchy with seven members is a base seven
tensegrity. A two member heterarchy would be called a base two. A three
member heterarchy is a base three and so on.
The following illustration of a base seven D-A Tensegrity
represents the heterarchical relationship on the perimeter and the
hierarchical relationships with direct lines of communication. All
individuals have a dual idenity. Their heterarchical role in decision
and their hierarchical role in action.
The organizers using synergic consensus will determine how to
structure their Ortegrities. There is no right or wrong way. The way
that insures the maximum win and prohibits loss is the best way for a
particular system. I expect Ortegrities will be as diverse as life
forms.
The “organizer” does not direct the other members of his
group. He would instead be responsible for coordinating their
organization into an effective team.
The “organizer” begins by presenting the synergic task to the individuals within the heterarchy.
An Ortegrity divides itself into synergic groups in order to
function. We can call these groups Decision-Action Tensegrities.
Heterarchy is used when making decisions and hierarchy when carring out
actions. Each Decision-Action Tensegrities has an “organizer” that
functions as coordinator-leader. When the group is making decisions,
he/she coordinates the heterarchy. When the group is taking action,
he/she leads the hierarchy. Decision-Action Tensegrities can have two
to twenty or more members.
StartUp Ortegrity
A StartUp Ortegrity begins when a single individual commits to
using the synergic mechanism of the O.T. to accomplish some goal or set
of goals that are beyond his/her abilities as an individual.
The primary organizer first sets about recruiting one or more
other individuals to help him or her. The primary organizer will begin
by sitting down in heterarchy with the primary group and define the
primary task using synergic consensus and veto. The members of the
primary Decision-Action Tensegrity all have equal responsibility and
equal authority in reaching synergic consensus and defining the primary
task.
They discuss things fully. Any member of the group can propose
a change to improve or refine the primary task. Only those
modifications which find support from all members of the group are
implemented. Anyone can veto any proposal in order to prevent loss, or
offer a modification to insure a greater win. Only those proposals
unanimously agreed to carry.
Once the primary synergic task is defined and unanimously
elected by the heterarcy, then a plan for synergic action must be
developed using synergic negotiation. Now the members of the heterarchy
will accept hierarchichal roles with individual responsibility and
authority. If the primary synergic task is within the abilites of the
primary Decision-Action Tensegrity to accomplish it,then they
accomplish it operating in action-hierarchy. When they are done, they
reconfigure back into decision-heterarchy to define their next synergic
task.
If however, the synergic task is too large for the primary
Decision-Action Tensegrity to accomplish, then part of the primary
synergic task will be to make the Ortegrity larger. This is
accomplished by having the primary members recruit and organize
secondary D-A Tensegrities.
TopDown Self-Organization
Once all members have agreed to a primary plan of action, they
then divide it into smaller secondary plans for distribution among
themselves. This results in the self-assignment of tasks. The members
of the primary tensegrity, then divide labor through the voluntarily
formation of a action-hierarchy to implement the plan. Each
“organizer”, the term “manager” is scraped altogether, then takes his
task down to the secondary tensegrity which he is responsible for
organizing.
The pattern of organization is from the top down. This is not
the “other-directed” hierarchy of American Capitalism. The process of
organization is from the top down, but the mechanism is “self directed”
heterarchy. Only when synergic consensus has been achieved at the
higher level can the organizational focus move down to a lower level.
Within the Ortegrity, most “organizers” will function at two
levels of tensegrity. Within the primary tensegrity, they are
“organized” by the primary “organizer” — the synergic alternative to a
CEO. In addition these members are also the “coodinators” of their own
secondary tensegrities which they are responsible for organizing.
Within the Ortegrity, those individuals operating at two
levels are then both organized and organizers. As members of the
primary tensegrity, they are organized by the “primary organizer” — the
O' (called the O prime) and they are also the organizers of their own
secondary tensegrities. Each of these is therefore an
“organized-organizer” — the O-O (called the double O).
An organization can have any number of Decision-Action
Tensegrities. These Decision-Action Tensegrities can be on different
levels. Large organizations would include severay levels of
Decision-Action Tensegrities. These different levels are referred to
simply as first level, second level, third level and so on in synergic
terminology.
Compound Tensegrities
The following illustration is of a base five, level two O.T..
Twenty five employees with one five-member primary DA-Tensegrity and
five (five-member) secondary DA-Tensegrities.
The central * DA-Tensegrity is the primary Tensegrity. It
divides the primary tasks of the company into secondary tasks, these
are then carried down to the secondary Tensegrities for solution by the
O-Os, “organized-organizers”. In this example the O' functions as both
primary organizer and one of the O-Os.
Ultimately Flexible
No known system of organization is more flexible and adaptive then Living systems. The Ortegrity is a pattern of life.
The Ortegrity is ultimately flexible. There can be two to twenty
individuals within the base D-A Tensegrities. Bases can be regular —
all with the same number of members or irregular — all with different
numbers of members or any mixture of regular and irregular.
There can be any number of levels, and any number of branches
on each level. The system is so powerful that twelve levels looks like
enough for most of our needs.
The following chart is based on a base seven regular tensegrity. All DA-Tensegrities would have seven members.
|
LEVEL |
# of base tensegrities |
# of individuals |
| 1 |
1 |
7 |
| 2 |
8 |
49 |
| 3 |
57 |
343 |
| 4 |
400 |
2401 |
| 5 |
2801 |
16,807 |
| 6 |
19,608 |
117,649 |
| 7 |
137,257 |
823,543 |
| 8 |
960,800 |
5,764,801 |
| 9 |
6,725,601 |
40,353,607 |
| 10 |
47,079,208 |
282,475,249 |
| 11 |
329,554,457 |
1,977,326,743 |
| 12 |
2,306,881,200 |
13,841,287,201 |
A level 12 Ortegrity would be adequate for organizing the entire
humans species within a single organization. Recalling that the larger
a tensegrity the more powerful it will is. Synergic science predicts
this will also be true for human organizations structured as
Ortegrities. Therefore, I would expect a trend towards very large
organizations.
Imagine, what could be possible if the entire human species
were a single organization. No conflict, no wars, no crimes. Is there
anything we could not accomplish?
